Bible Study - "Receiving God's Grace" and "Powerful Angels"

“Receiving God’s Grace”

We have heard several readings from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians on Sundays in recent weeks. Paul clearly emphasizes, as the Scriptures so often do, that we are saved purely by the grace of God (His undeserved love and favor and gift for us) through faith in Jesus Christ and His saving work for us, and even our faith is not our own doing, that we produce. It is a gift of God, not by our works so that no one can boast about what we have done. We were spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive by His grace and worked faith in us through His Holy Spirit, through His Word and our baptism, and strengthened us through the Word and Sacraments, as we receive Jesus, the Bread of Life. (Read especially Ephesians 2:1-10, again, as a summary of all this. This grace and gift of God is already ours if we are trusting in Jesus as our Savior. We could not believe without that grace.)

We also have heard that God has given us the gifts of prophets and apostles and evangelists, who taught and wrote down God’s Word for us. These are the Holy Scriptures through which the Holy Spirit works and we can learn and be strengthened in God’s Word and will for us and in knowing what is truly right and wrong for our new life in Jesus. God’s Word is vital for us, and through it, we also know the value of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, as the Lord connects His Word to the water of baptism and the bread and wine, Christ’s true body and blood, in the Lord’s Supper. These are all gifts of God’s grace, by which we have received our salvation.

But Paul also says, in Ephesians 4:7, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” This seems to refer to the unique gifts of grace we each are given to serve one another in the body of Christ. Paul speaks of “each part working properly, helping the body grow and build itself up in love.”

In a Bible study discussion, this seemed confusing to some. Are these natural gifts and abilities that we have that can be used? Some people are better than others in certain things, as we are all unique individuals, and none of us are strong in everything. But Paul mixes in God’s grace given to each, which seems different from the same grace given to all by which we are saved. Our natural abilities are surely a gift from God, too. That does not make us superior or inferior to others in the church. That just makes us different.

The Biblical writers often use blessings like “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” See Philippians 1:2. Peter even writes, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2). And Peter says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” That seems to say that we can wish and ask for God’s grace for a greater understanding of our Lord and His will and what we can do in service as the unique person we are.

That does not mean that we can be more saved. Christ has already done everything we need, and we simply trust Him for His completed work of salvation. This has nothing to do with competition with other Christians about anything, either. Paul writes about “walking in a manner worthy of our calling” as Christians, which involves “humility and gentleness with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1-2). And we do not ask for God’s grace for personal glory, but to serve our Lord and others in a better way, for God’s glory. Right after Peter speaks of “growing in grace,” he adds, “To God be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” And while Paul writes his letter to the Ephesians, inspired by God, he just has to stop and give all the glory to the Lord and His grace. If we accomplish anything, it is by God’s power at work in us, in our Christian life. Paul writes, “Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

“Powerful Angels”

Two of our readings this Sunday mention “an angel of the Lord” helping people. An angel helped the prophet Elijah survive and provided food for him for a long journey (1 Kings 19:5-8). David also knew that the Lord “delivered him from all his fears” and “saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:4,6). And right after that, David wrote, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). In the Bible, the good angels are powerful servants of God in service to the Lord and in protecting us.

I recently came across an old devotion I had saved, written many years ago by a Purdue student who became a pastor and, for a while, sent out regular devotions to friends. He spoke of how angels are often pictured in very different ways. Rafael has a famous painting in which several “cherubs” (one of the kinds of angels) are “pictured as adorable, chubby little babies. The image of a cherub looking like a baby comes from Eros of Greek mythology or Cupid of the Romans, but not from Scripture at all.”

That made me think of how often in movies and books these days, angels are pictured as bumbling creatures sent from God to help someone but not able to get things right and messing things up, at least for a while, until they earn their wings. Again, that is never the Biblical picture. Angels are spirits and do not have a “body.” They can appear in various forms. Nor do people ever become angels. Angels are uniquely created by God to be His servants. The good angels in the Bible are mighty, powerful servants of God, always doing God’s will as they should, for us and our good and our protection. They can be powerful warriors against Satan and the other angels who rebelled against God and fell into great sin and evil and oppose God.

The good angels are also God’s messengers who bring good news to people. It was an angel who was sent by God to the prophet Isaiah when he realized his sin and said, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips.” The angel touched his lips and said, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Angels announced to Mary the coming birth of her Savior, born to her; angels announced to the shepherds the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem; and on and on. When you hear of good angels, make sure that they fit the Biblical picture of powerful servants of God working for good. What a blessing that we still have such guardians and helpers from the Lord, for children, but for all of us.